The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-21
A Connecticut Girl Whose Shapely Feet Elicit
Much Admration-Lily Langtry, Gebhard,
and the Attention Which They Receive.
Philanthropist George w. Childs Now
Enrolled Among the Lily's Admirers.
The New York Young Woman Who Visits the
Ball Grounds and Criticises the Players
The Kleptomaniacs in Polite Society.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

New YORK. Aug. 2O-There are stations be-
tween this city and Long Branch where the ac-
commodation trains stop only on signal. 1
blunderingly took one of these slow and affable
trains, instead of an express that would have
whirled me along without break during the
forty-eight miles in an hour and ten minutes.
The passengers were irked by the frequent
stops and at length we trundled lazily up to a
station which was mere platform at a cross
road. Only the flagman and a young dude were
there The dandy was thn straddling, mis-
erable specimen of the grotesque fop. He was
inspected by all the passengers who had their
heads out of the window that side of the
train.
''Well," said brisk girl. she scrutinized
him critically, Ibid the train stop for that7"
~
The sights of Long Branch are, as usual,
worth a trip to that miscellaneous summer
sort. was riding on Ocean avenue past the
lines OF villas. which increase in number and
beauty as the years go by. 1t was midday, and
had view of two ladies waltzing in the
parlor of Gen. Thomas t. Eckert, general man
ager of the Western Union. 1 fanced they were
casually practicing some Of the frequent new
styles in round dancing But the rhythmic grace
of their movements was not compatible with the
seeming lack of music 1 looked again, and
saw that one was holding the receiver of a tele-
phone close to her own and partners ear, and
that they reversed often enough to avoid winding
themselves up in the connecting wire Later I
was shown the other end of the arrangement in
telephone directly over the orchestra in the
West End Hotel parlor, where daily concert is
given at noon, and dance music is altogether
played from eight to eleven every evening
this week-with one tremendous exception-is
Ida Barrows. who came from Hartford and be-
longs to the Coleman family of that sequestered
town. She is pretty, but not wonderfully so
she has cunning little ways, but SO have the ma
jority of the maidens seen at the seashore; and
she is in no way far above the high American
average of feminine attractiveness-save in her
feet Those members not smaller than num-
Der four. should say. but they are so shapely
in unimpaired outlines fine in complexion, SO
utterly free from deformity blemish, that, al
though people may not go miles to see them-as
they did the .'Mikado" old maids elbow-many
do go down to the shore at bathing time to ad-
mire them. They are famous. Ida is the only
girl at her hotel who goes into the surf without
slippers and stockings Her modest suit covers
her ankles, but her handsome feet are bare.
Nearly every year there comes an actress to
Long Branch who distances all unprofessional
competition at the beach. but this time the
Little barefoot from Hartford is without rivalry.
and that, too. without any sacrifice of the pro-
prieties.
Mrs Langtry is the exception which I men
toned in the other paragraph. There is no use
trying to ignore her. She undoubtedly went to
Long Branch for advertising as we'll as recrea-
.l,o
commands the former while enjoying the latter.
She began a week ago by hiring one of the two
gorgeous villas owned by Phil Daily. the gambler
who runs the Pennsylvania Club Phil built
those houses several years ago for residences for
his own and brothers families. Into his own
he put private chapel, like miniature church,
with altar where his wife, pious Roman |
Catholic. might say her prayers. The decora-
tions as we'll the architecture were unique, if
not gaudy. Phil lives there this season on the |
immense profits of his gambling establishment,
but his brother has not occupied the other |
house. and Mrs. Langtry rented il. The price |
which she is said to have paid was |
thousand dollars for August and Septem-
ber; and the figure is reasonable.
sidering that the premises luxuriously |
furnished. Mrs. Langtry arrived Ike circus.
Her wardrobe and other belongings filled twenty |
four trunks. and along with them nine |
boldly labeled, ST Gebhard New York" Does |
he accompany her? Rather. He is not Only |
domciled with her at the Daily villa. but the |
public rarely sees her without him. The mutual |
admiration and devotion of the pair are conspic- /
uous. They go to Monmouth Park three af- |
ternoons a week TO see Freddys horses beaten /
they 60 to the noon concerts at the West End, /
aud also there occasionally drink wine with Lar
rv Jerome and other fellows; and frequently |
observed
throngs of men, women and children. The man
ner in which the people ioste and crowd to get
a sight of the Lily doesn't look polite; and yet.
as she is there for exhibition, why should they
sure sure of staringl Her aceing on these
occasions is good as anything she does on the
stage By no gesture or vince does she betray
her knowledge that she and Freddy are not off
in the wilderness, with no human
ayes on them. She is self possessed, calm and
intensely ladyike in department. Does the
gaze of the multitude really annoy herl I guess
not else why does she submit herself to itl She
goes to bathe where there is the biggest crowd,
which. of course, multiplies as fast the word
spreads that she is there. In the surf she wears
conventional suit of blue flannel, the blouse
coming to her knees and the trousers puckering
at ner ankles. On these occasions she shows to
good advantage, because her figure is first rate,
except for large hands and feet. and her CON-
olexion stands daylight and the oceans glare a6-
nirabiy. Discussion of the question whether
she is superlatively beautiful waxes warm. My
own opinion is that. while her features not
ine, she is SO clean. healthy and fair that she
may justly be called very pretty.
Now for a startler. Whom do you suppose,
If all the celebrated men at Long Branch. Mrs.
Langtry has capturedl George w. Childs. of
he Philadelphia Ledger. Stay your scandalous
ongue. Mr.. Chids is no sentimental rival of
iebhard His attentions to the Beauty
wholly platonic She was taken up and doomed
by the Prince of Wales's set in London. Why
shouldn't Uncle Childs foil ow suit9 The pre-
iminary approaches understood TO have been
made to Childs by the actress. She intimated to
lim, through an oolging third person. that she
wished TO attend divine service last Sunday In
he Elberon Church-the one in which ha has
ately placed Grant memorial window he
placed pew at her disposal Next. she met him
n hotel parlor. where ne was presented TO her.
At the close of this interview she invited him to
.all her. He did on the ensuing day, |
greatly to the shock and surprise OF neighbors,